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Drugg
Registered: 06/30/09
Posts: 2
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Reply with quote | #1 |
Chris had been driving for quite some time.
He knew kinda where he was but not his exact location. In the back of his mind he heard a still small voice saying, 'stop and ask for directions'... He saw the shadows on the blacktop and thought, "the sun rises in the east and sets in the west". He knew which way was North and he needed to go West. He saw a sign indicating an intersection on the side of the road and decided that was as good a place as any to turn West and continue his journey.
Chris passed a small township on this road. It had a population of 532 and a Thrifty's Drugstore as well as several business with various 'shingles' hanging just outside each door. He saw several people here and there going about their daily business. The voice, 'stop and ask for directions' again... He had looked at a map earlier this morning and had a vague memory of a state highway somewhere to the west of his current location. He didn't need to ask for directions.
As the town dwindled in his rear view mirror he passed houses and farms and ranches. There were still several people sprinkled about like poppy seeds on a muffin. Again, 'stop and ask for directions'... Chris was convinced that he knew exactly where he was going and also that this road would empty out onto the state highway eventually. Besides, the country side was actually very pleasant to look at, with all the flowers and trees etc.
He came to a bridge several miles outside of the town he had just passed and the road shrunk down from 4 lanes to 2. The bridge spanned a small river, actually more of a creek really.. but it appeared deep enough for fish. He reminisced of a time when he had gone fishing with his father...
'Chris!!' Man his dad was pissed!... 'What did I tell you about the tackle box? It almost fell out of the boat! *Why can't you be more like your brother? he mumbled... You're not going to be allowed to come with me anymore if you make that mistake again!!"
There had definitely been better days... but, somehow it's hard to remember any good times... the bad stuff flows like water to a thirsty man.
Chris notices that during his daydream, (he was driving with his peripheral vision like most people do when they are on the phone or doing something other than driving while in the car) the road had narrowed quite a bit and there was definitely more vegetation. He couldn't see nearly as far across the country side as when he had first left the town. He checked his Odometer, already gone 63 miles... wow.
He also noticed that there were no more farms... no more ranches... no people anywhere, just a little 2 lane road that seemed to be shrinking as he drove. He is more sure now than before that the road will spill out onto the state highway somewhere ahead of him. Mostly because, it's too far to turn around and go back now. Better to just forge ahead and take what comes than to turn around and waste all that time getting back to familiar territory.
The farther he travels the more he is convinced that 'just around the next corner' there will be the highway and he can continue his journey. He crosses another creek... and the blacktop ends. Now it's just a dirt road, potholes an ruts everywhere. He checks his gas gauge... 1/4 tank... hope that highway shows up soon. The odometer reads 82 miles he has traveled from the diner he left this afternoon. His memory tells him he should have reached the highway by now based on a fuzzy picture in his mind of what the map said. It's also starting to get dark, which won't help much way out here because there are no street lamps to speak of. He's been in the country at night, it's dark... really dark.
As he continues down the road it has dwindled to actually not much more than a path really and there is so much overgrowth of trees with something that looks like ivy and bushes etc. that there is virtually no visibility except straight ahead. The only problem with 'straight ahead' is that there is no 'straight ahead' ... the path has been starting to 'wind' for about 3 miles. As he comes around the next curve he thinks that a tree has fallen across the 'road'. He stops and gets out. He walks over to the tree to see what is on the other side...
There is nothing
The 'road' just ends... it's not just blocked by the tree. He can tell by looking at it that the road never was finished. It just stops out here in the middle of nowhere like the guys building it got tired and went home... years ago. He gets back into his car and proceeds to try and turn it around. The 'road' is so small that the car will not fit on the road sideways... the road had gone down to one lane while he was cruising along not paying attention. As he gets the car about 90 degrees to the road it gets stuck in the mud which is on the side of the road. It is about this time that Chris notices that it isn't just overgrowth... he is in a full fledged swamp. There is water and mud everywhere and he hears something very large splash into the water but cannot for the life of him figure out where the sound came from. Chris realizes something as he gets out of the car to check the situation. He doesn't have enough gas to drive back even if he did get the car turned around. He looks in his trunk and finds a flashlight and checks it. The light is so dim that he thinks it must be because of the sun washing it out til he realizes that the sun has already started going down and it is actually quite dark. He turns and looks down the road the way he came. It is a long way back.
Like Chris we often think that we know what we are doing. We pretty much have lived for a while on this planet and our opinions and philosophies have served us well. I am a grown man and I can take care of myself. The thing is... our sexual addiction didn't happen overnight. In my case? It took years... 36 to be exact. That means that I have 36 years worth of 'traveling' before I reach the point that I diverged from the true path. It is a long way back, a lifetime. It is dark and tiring and scary and tedious blah blah blah... It is going to hurt to go all that way back to the turning point. Unlike Chris, we have someone to walk the long road with us. His name is Jesus. He has a flashlight and warm clothes if needed and good things to eat and drink. They don't taste the same as what we have been eating... but they are way better for us. It is an acquired taste. It takes time and effort to walk with God... it's not easy. Easy is what got us lost in the first place. He is always there for us though. He is waiting for you... on the way back.
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